A New Beginning
by LiteratiLady
Summary: What if Dean and Lane had found Rory and Jess kissing at Sookie's wedding? Rewritten scene from I Can't Get Started 2x22. Will Rory and Jess have a chance to be together? Literati. Please read and review previously titled CBWAWF
1. Chapter 1

**Confirming Best Wishes & Worst Fears**

**Premise: What if Dean had found Rory and Jess at Sookie's wedding? Rewritten I Can't Get Started scene.**

**A/N: Ok so I have six assignments to work on over the next two weeks. However, this idea has been in my head for a while. I also wanted to try my hand at rewriting a scene because I like reading other people's rewritten scenes. This scene is one of my favourites from Gilmore Girls and now, here I am, wrecking it. I have now set aside nights to either write fanfiction or watch True Blood and days to work on assignments. That means that Chapter 21 of the Newspaper Room and the Maternity Ward will be out sooner than I anticipated. I am trying to fit the entire trial in one chapter so it may take a while. Rambling over and on to the story! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls**

After Christopher Hayden left to answer his phone, Rory Gilmore turned down towards the hill and saw a familiar figure waiting for her. It couldn't possibly be him. He couldn't be back, could he? Maybe he likes me after all. Rory slowly walked down the hill towards Jess Mariano.

"What are you doing here?" Rory asked as she tried to keep her breath steady.

"Hello to you too." Jess replied sarcastically, evasively avoiding her initial question.

"Is everything okay?" Rory asked. She still couldn't believe that he was here again. Maybe he had also had a stroke when she visited him in New York.

"You look nice," Jess complimented her, a rare thing for him to do.

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Lorelai Gilmore looked frantically everywhere at the Independence Inn. She couldn't find Christopher or Rory and the ceremony was about to start any minute. Dean and Lane were standing near the piano casually talking. They noticed Lorelai's panic and approached her.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?" Dean enquired and Lorelai breathed out.

"I can't find Rory or Christopher and the ceremony is about to start so we only have one bridesmaid. Do you guys know where they went? Chris said he had to talk to her about something." Lorelai babbled on.

"Well, we can go find Rory if you want. She can't be far away." Lane offered and Lorelai thanked her. She pointed in the direction that she saw Chris and Rory walk off in. Lane and Dean headed over the tiny bridge and went off in search of Rory Gilmore.

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"Thank you, what are you doing here?" Rory insisted on this first question and Jess had no choice but to finally answer her.

"I moved back." Jess told her, which was true although he avoided telling her why.

"What?" Rory wasn't sure that she heard him properly.

"I moved back." Jess repeated. How long would it take for her to understand this?

"But-what-why?" Rory stuttered and Jess shrugged his shoulders.

"Just wanted to." Jess slightly lied or some could call it veiling the truth. It was all because of her. Rory looked breathlessly at him and before she knew what she was doing, Rory pulled him into a kiss. Jess pulled her closer and kissed her back.

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Dean and Lane were wandering aimlessly around the extensive gardens of the Independence Inn. The property was large in comparison to Stars Hollow. They had trouble finding her and thought it was weird that Rory was hiding from the celebrations.

"Maybe she's over there." Lane suggested and they went in that direction. Down the hill they could see Rory and Jess talking. "Well, we found her." Lane tried to say enthusiastically. They couldn't believe that Jess was back in Stars Hollow. They watched Rory and Jess' interactions until suddenly Rory leaned forward and kissed him. Rage built up inside Dean and he could feel his whole world falling apart. Everyone could see their attraction, their connection, including him. He had always suspected that Rory liked Jess and it wasn't just that she had to be nice to everyone. Jess was even nice to her but he always delighted in screwing around with him first. Jess was kissing her back now and the rage continued to build. How could they do this right in front of him? She had come to Sookie's wedding with _him_ and now she runs off to have a thing with Jess! How could this happen? Lane noticed the pain that was visible on Dean's face. She tried to say something encouraging or compensating but came up with nothing. When Rory and Jess parted, they could both see Rory's expression of guilt as she ran away to go back to the festivities.

"I'm going to kill him!" Dean clenched his fists and paced around.

"Don't do that. Rory looked so guilty and I don't think you should kill him. You'll go to jail and upset Rory." Lane tried to convince him but Dean was determined. He wasn't sure whether to go yell at Rory or punch the living daylights out of Jess. Lane offered to go console Rory on the promise that Dean wouldn't kill Jess. She ran off in the same direction that Rory had run off.

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Jess breathed in amazement at what had just happened. He decided to leave the Independence Inn and turned to the direction that Rory had come from. He froze in panic when he saw the tall menacing figure of Dean Forester.

"Oh crap." Jess said to himself. Had he seen that kiss? Had he seen everything? What would happen now? Dean advanced towards Jess and he could tell that Dean was pissed off. Jess put on his usual smirking sarcastic shield, as Dean got closer. As he was about to greet him, he was pushed back towards the ground.

"I'm not going to fight you, Dean." Jess gathered himself up and tried to leave in the other direction but he was pulled back. Dean punched Jess as hard as he could and Jess felt his eye blacken once more, like from his childhood in New York.

"What the hell were you thinking? Rory is with me! She's my _girlfriend _but you don't seem to care! You kissed my _girlfriend_! It's so damn obvious that you like each other! You know what, I'm out! Go ahead. Be together! I'm not standing in your way now!" Dean walked off in a huff and Jess didn't blame the guy. Was he really going to break up with Rory? Would he do it right here at Sookie's wedding? Jess started to walk back to Luke's when a familiar voice called him back.

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Lane found Rory sitting at the pond in the Independence Inn gardens. As Lane approached, she heard her best friend sobbing uncontrollably. Lane tried to walk as quietly as she could but she stepped on a twig and the sound caught Rory's attention. Rory looked back to see her best friend coming to console her and immediately jumped up to hug Lane. She could see that Rory's eyes were red and tears streamed down her beautiful face. Lane pulled her closer to her as Rory sobbed on her shoulder.

"Lane, what's wrong with me?" Rory cried but Lane only made shushing noises to comfort her like a mother comforts her baby. "I have a boyfriend who's kind and loves me and I just kissed Jess! Why do I like Jess when I'm already with a guy? He's so smart and nice and he hates Ayn Rand. Everyone in town hates him. He makes me laugh and blush so easily. What's wrong with me? I missed my mother's graduation because I got on a bus to go to New York to see Jess! I skipped school and everything!" Rory continued to sob as Lane patted her back. Rory untangled herself from her best friend and wiped away her tears. "How did you even know to find me here?" Rory enquired and Lane sighed.

"Okay but you're not going to like the story. The wedding is starting up pretty soon and Lorelai was wondering where you were so Dean and I went looking for you. We found you with Jess and… Dean and I saw you guys… kiss." Lane explained and panic and guilt filled Rory's conscience.

"Dean saw… us? He must be so mad. Oh no! What have I done?" Rory panicked and Lane pulled her back into a hug. Rory started to cry again on Lane's comforting shoulder.

"I need to talk to you, alone!" A voice hissed and Rory and Lane turned to see an angry Dean Forester in front of them. Lane instinctively stood in front of Rory to protect her. Rory decided to step next to Lane instead of using her as a shield.

"Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of Lane." Rory said defensively.

"I thought I would inform you that we're done! I have spent months trying to ignore what was going on with you and that jerk but I've given up now. You came to this wedding with me and you run off to kiss Jess!" Dean shouted.

"I did not run off to kiss Jess! My father wanted to talk to me in private! I had no idea he was coming back. It just happened. It meant nothing. I want to be with you!" Rory shouted back even though deep down, she knew that that kiss meant something. Dean shook his head at this.

"You don't want to be with me! I'm through, so go and be together!" Dean turned on his heel and headed back to his home. He didn't really want to be at Sookie's wedding anymore. Rory sighed and looked at her best friend.

"So, am I officially broken up with Dean?" Rory wondered out loud and Lane nodded. "You're going to be a great mother, Lane Kim." Lane smiled at this and they suddenly remembered about the wedding. "We have to make a pit stop first." Rory took Lane's hand and led her to where she and Jess had kissed. They could see Jess starting to leave and Rory called out to him. He immediately stopped and turned around to face them. Jess suddenly smiled at the sight of Rory, despite his black eye.

"Jess, I'm so sorry! What happened to your eye?" Rory slowly stepped forward while Lane remained half hiding in the bushes.

"It's nothing." Jess said as he shrugged his shoulders. To be completely honest, it only ached a little. He'd had worse injuries.

"Dean and I broke up just now." Rory announced although Jess kind of figured this from Dean's speech earlier.

"I'm sorry." Jess apologised almost apathetically but Rory didn't mind.

"I have to go." Rory remembered the wedding and he looked disappointed.

"Why?" Jess questioned and Rory reminded him that there was a wedding going on. She promised to call him the next day and left to go back to the wedding.

Rory and Lane ran back towards the Inn and arrived just in time. Lane ran over to her seat and Rory went up to the bridge and stood next to her mother. Lorelai handed her daughter a bunch of flowers as they waited for the music to start.

"I think I'm going to Washington." Rory announced breathlessly.

"Oh," Lorelai said as she simply stared straight ahead. At that moment, the music began to play and Lorelai and Rory headed down the aisle.

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think of my first rewritten scene! I hope you enjoyed it. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - Closure

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and adding this story to your alerts! It's a great honour! I have obviously decided to continue this thanks to Anna and Midnight-Gypsy101. I hope you enjoy chapter two! This story may only have a few chapters altogether. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did, Dean would've been out of there so fast and Lorelai would never have married Chris. **

Rory Gilmore kept herself composed for the entire wedding ceremony. She gave no indication of being upset at all to anyone. Lorelai Gilmore was also hiding her own disappointment at Chris leaving to go support Sherry in her pregnancy. The wedding ceremony was short, simple and sweet. Sookie and Jackson were absolutely perfect for each other and everyone was happy for them. Once the ceremony was over, there were still a couple of hours until the reception. Richard and Emily met up with Lorelai and Rory and they all decided to go to Weston's Bakery. Rory would've preferred to go meet up with Jess for a short while or talk to her mother about her recent break up with Dean. Unfortunately, she had to put these wishes on hold for her grandparents.

"Oh, wow, isn't this a charming place?" Emily cooed as she looked around excitedly like a child on Christmas morning. They all sat down at a table and began to look at the quaint menu.

"Well, we thought you guys might enjoy this place more than Luke's diner." Lorelai told them.

"So Rory, how's that boyfriend of yours?" Emily asked gleefully with a sly smile. Rory panicked as she heard her grandmother ask this question. She decided that this was not the best time to announce a break up that had only happened a little over an hour ago.

"Uh, Dean?" Rory asked and Emily nodded.

"We didn't see him at the wedding." Emily stated and Lorelai was confused at this. She definitely remembered sending him and Lane to go look for Rory when she disappeared.

"He wasn't at the wedding?" Lorelai asked, still confused.

"He was for a little while but had to go work at the market. It was a last minute thing." Rory lied.

"Also, where did Christopher disappear to? I wanted to talk to him about business." Richard enquired and Lorelai explained that Christopher was called back to Boston for work. This was the first time that Rory had heard anything about her father's disappearance from the wedding. She wasn't sure if she should've been more surprised than she was.

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Rory and Lorelai arrived back at their house with scant minutes to get ready for the reception. Richard and Emily had gone back to their home in Hartford to freshen up for the reception as well, which gave Lorelai plenty of time to pry into Rory's lie.

"Mom, I need to talk to you." Rory announced and Lorelai invited her daughter to come and sit on the couch with her. "Dean and I broke up at the wedding and that is why he wasn't there. Well, it was sort of a bit before the wedding but you know what I mean." Rory announced and Lorelai was shocked.

"Why? What happened?" Lorelai asked and she was even more confused than before. There was no good reason for them to break up. The memory of learning that Rory had missed her graduation because she went to New York to see Jess still haunted her. As far as she knew, Jess was still in New York, despite knowing that her daughter had fallen for the bad boy.

"Jess is back from New York. I had another stroke there. I don't know what happened. I saw him and I went and talked to him. All of a sudden I kissed him and he kissed me back and I ran off. I was crying at that pond and Lane found me there. She told me that Dean saw us and he eventually found us and broke up with me. I found Jess a little bit later and apparently Dean got into a fight with him." Rory recounted the story and Lorelai was overwhelmed with the drama of this story. What ever happened to the good old days when Rory wore wings and invited everyone to a caterpillar's funeral? Lorelai breathed in and out. Tears started to flow once again from Rory's blue eyes and Lorelai pulled her daughter into a comforting hug.

"You don't have to go to the reception if you want. You and Lane can hang out here if you want. You could stay here on your own if you wanted." Lorelai suggested and Rory decided to stay here on her own. "I should probably tell you something before I go to the reception. Sherry is pregnant and your father went back to her." Lorelai announced and Rory was silent in her arms.

"We're a fun pair tonight." Rory whispered and Lorelai suddenly realised that she was late. She gave her daughter money for take-out and headed out to the reception in the same dress that she wore for the wedding.

Rory sat on the couch, wondering what she would do that night. Exams had finished and she didn't really need to study for anything. She flipped through channels on the TV and decided that there wasn't anything to watch. Rory headed over to her bedroom and studied her bookshelf. She picked up her copy of Howl and sat on her bed as she looked through the familiar markings of Jess Mariano. She read them more than she read the actual poem, which in itself was a mystery. Once she had finished reading Howl and the margin notes, Rory changed into a simple but nice top and jeans. She headed out into the slightly chilly air and walked right over to her favourite diner.

As she reached Doose's market, only being a few feet away from Luke's, a tall figure came out of the market and crashed into her. Rory fell to the ground and quietly cursed whoever had knocked her down. As she looked up, she saw that it was Dean. He still looked really mad over what had happened at the wedding but if he intentionally knocked her down, then he was overreacting. Rory picked herself up from the ground and stood in front of her ex-boyfriend. That title was a little weird to place on a boy who had been with her for two years.

"Dean, I'm so sorry about what happened today. Please believe me. I don't expect you to forgive me, or anything. I just want you to know how sorry I am." Rory apologised but Dean waved her off like an inconsequential fly. He started to head back towards the square, back to his home and Rory quickly followed. Realising that she wasn't going to give up on him just yet, Dean spun around to stop Rory following him.

"Look Rory, do you know how much you hurt me today? I don't want to deal with you now." Dean started to clench his fists as he walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her because he still loved her. He couldn't believe that he still loved her, despite all the bad, despite seeing her kiss another guy and breaking up with her. He was too hurt to say very much and now all he wanted to do was go home. He didn't want to deal with this now, or ever.

"Well, if not now, when? We can't just forget this ever happened. We need to work it out now!" Rory shouted. She couldn't believe how immature he was being right now. Dean stopped walking and came back at Rory.

"You came with me to Sookie's wedding and you ran off to _kiss Jess! _Right in front of me! Do you know how much it hurt to see you go and kiss him?" Dean yelled, feeling his heart break with each word. He couldn't believe that someone so beautiful like Rory could do something so terrible and cheat on him.

"I didn't know you were going to be there." Rory said.

"So, that just makes it all okay?" Dean shot at her and Rory decided that she didn't want to do this anymore either. However, she started this and she needed to finish it.

"No! I didn't know he was going to be there. I thought he was still in New York and we would never see him again. I wanted to start over again but then my dad came and he had to talk to me and he left and Jess was there. I'm his friend; I couldn't very well ignore him right after I saw him! It just happened! I don't know what's wrong with me." Rory shouted although she felt like she was repeating everything. She had told him all this at the wedding but Dean hadn't stuck around long enough to really listen objectively.

"What do you even see in that _jerk_?" Dean spat and Rory sighed. Should she really tell him?

"He's so smart and nice and yes, he can be a jerk sometimes." Rory started but Dean decided that he didn't really want to know. He continued to walk home as they had both made it to the square with the gazebo.

"Dean, please wait!" Rory called and Dean stopped walking again. There was something about her that made him obey to her every command. Dean sighed and spun around to look at her. It was the least he could do for her. "Dean, I'm so sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me. I never meant to hurt you like I did and I completely understand if you never forgive me or never want to see me again. I just want you to know that you were the most amazing boyfriend in the world. You made me so happy, you were nice to my friends and you made my mom like you. You built me a car from scratch and I know that Jess wrecked it. You came with me to that stupid debutante ball. I'm so sorry and I'm going to miss you so much. I really did love you. Please just do me one favour and believe me. I hope that one day you won't hate me any more." Rory sighed as she finished her long apology. It felt like a monologue for her. Dean just stood there, tall and breathing. He didn't say a word and he didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, I hope so too." Dean walked back to his home and this time, Rory didn't follow him or stop him in any way.

Instead, she headed in the other direction to Luke's. She looked back one last time to see her and Dean parting for the last time. Was it a good thing that Dean and Lane had seen them? Did it make everything easier for Rory to choose Jess? Rory couldn't help that she had fallen in love with Jess. She finally had her closure with Dean, even if it was a screaming match out in public. If the whole town didn't know about the break up before, they sure did now. Rory couldn't be sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Now she was definitely over with Dean, there was much to look forward to. There was wallowing -a day of pizza, pyjamas and An Affair To Remember. A relationship with Jess and she could finally go through with all those urges that she had always had. Intelligent conversations with him about Hemingway and Ayn Rand at the bridge. There was so much to look forward to and so much to put behind her.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: Please review! I love reviews! Hopefully there aren't any timeline issues with this. Third chapter is almost done. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - Confirmation

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, added this to his or her alerts and favourites! It really made my day. **** I'm sorry that this took so long. I've had a bit of writer's block. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. **

Luke's diner was fairly busy when Rory Gilmore arrived after her screaming match with Dean. Rory headed straight over to the counter and slumped into a stool. Jess was standing behind the counter and reading a book. This was not an unusual sight. Rory looked around the diner at all the other customers and realised that she didn't recognise anyone. They all seemed to be tourists as every local in Stars Hollow would be at Sookie and Jackson's wedding reception. Jess finally looked up from his book and almost jumped when he saw Rory sitting in front of him, looking depressed. Rory finally turned back to Jess. She laughed out loud at the expression of shock on his face.

"Can I please have a cup of coffee and a cheeseburger? I'm having a really crappy night." Rory asked and Jess grabbed the pot of coffee, which he then poured into a large blue mug.

"Why are you having a really crappy night?" Jess enquired although he could probably guess why. It may have had something to do with an extraordinary moment at the back of the Independence Inn.

"You couldn't hear us out there? Dean and I were yelling at each other in the square. I think we're officially over. He was so mad… and I'm sure you couldn't care less." Rory babbled as she started to drink her coffee.

"Oh, yes, I could care less. I'm sorry about that. I didn't realise my return would cause such chaos." Jess started to read his book again at which Rory took it away from him. "Hey!" Jess protested and Rory poked her tongue out at him.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Rory insisted and Jess sighed as he leant on the counter. Rory finally looked down at the book she had stolen from Jess. It was a faded copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_.

"Here I thought that you wanted my company. Weren't you having a really crappy night?" Rory remembered the fight with Dean outside that had only happened minutes ago. She didn't want to fight with Jess now. He waited for her to answer and finally gave up. This sparked Rory's attention.

"Wait," Rory said and Jess stopped in his tracks to get food from Caesar. Jess spun on his heel and faced Rory again. Jess raised an eyebrow when Rory refused to say anything else. Once her mind started working again, she smiled and asked for Jess' company.

Jess simply nodded and brought back two cheeseburgers from Caesar. Instead of placing them on the counter, he walked right past it and headed upstairs. A confused Rory called him back and Jess simply gestured with his head to the apartment upstairs. Rory, gleefully, grabbed her jacket and followed the quiet yet intelligent teenage boy upstairs. He was waiting for her at the top of the stairs when Rory realised that he wouldn't be able to open the door. Rory sighed before she opened the door for him. Luke's apartment certainly wasn't their special bridge but it was definitely warmer and not exposed to the elements. Jess, wordlessly, placed the burgers on the table and quickly returned down to the diner for coffee. Rory sat down on the chair and looked around the apartment. It was bigger since the renovations a few months earlier. Rory spotted the bookcase against the wall near Jess' bed. The shelves were crammed with as many books as could fit. She went over and inspected the bookcase. As Rory perused through Jess' books and his margin notes, a tap on her shoulder brought her out of his books. She turned around and jumped a little when she saw Jess standing so close to her.

"Oh, hey." Rory greeted lamely.

"Dinner's ready." Jess announced and gestured for them to go to the dinner table. It was simply two burgers and cups of coffee. Rory smiled as she sat down.

"You didn't have to do all this. I could've eaten downstairs." Rory insisted as she picked up her cheeseburger.

"If we ate downstairs, the whole town would know that I was corrupting you." Jess joked and Rory shook her head.

"Most of the town is at Sookie and Jackson's wedding reception. It's only the out-of-towners who would know." Rory retorted.

"Plus, you looked like you would rather be somewhere quieter. You said you were having a crappy night." Jess replied, more quietly. Rory decided to change the conversation from her breakup with Dean to something along the lines of literature.

"So, have you finished _The Fountainhead_?" Rory asked and Jess groaned. "Sorry, that was my segue. It was the first book I thought of to change the subject. Your turn?" Jess glanced over at his bookshelf and shrugged. They both continued to eat their burgers in silence. "Jess," Rory started and Jess placed the rest of his burger back on the plate. "Was Dean right?" This caught Jess' attention and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"About... Never mind." Rory waved it off and she quickly finished her cheeseburger. After swallowing the rest of her coffee, Rory took a book from Jess' bookshelf and handed it to him. It was a copy of _The Old Man and the Sea _by Ernest Hemingway. Jess looked up and smiled a little at Rory. "I think Hemingway may be less painful if you read it to me." Rory suggested and Jess headed over to the old leather brown couch.

"Are you sure?" Jess asked and Rory sat next to him in confirmation.

"It means that you'll have to use a few words with two or more syllables." Rory said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think I can handle it." Jess assured her before he began to read.

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Lorelai Gilmore entered the diner when it was close to midnight and was surprised to see that the lights were on and Luke was still awake. Luke was wiping down the bench when she entered.

"Hey, you're still awake." Lorelai greeted as she sat down on a stool at the counter.

"Yeah, how was the wedding?" Luke enquired and Lorelai sighed.

"Dramatic as all weddings should be. The reception was so much fun. How come you weren't there?" Lorelai enquired.

"Oh, well, weddings aren't my thing." Luke made up which was mostly true. He wasn't a wedding guy. Lorelai simply nodded in response. "What happened that was so dramatic?"

"Oh, you know, Miss Patty and Babette got drunk and started to hit on Kirk. Dean and Rory broke up." Lorelai tried to downplay the breakup as nonchalantly as she could. However, it certainly caught Luke's attention.

"What happened?" Luke questioned.

"Jess happened." Lorelai explained. Luke thought back to his earlier conversation to leave Rory alone. He had probably heard him but decided to not leave her alone. Now Rory was broken up with her boyfriend and he could've stopped it. Luke slammed down on the bench and Lorelai jumped at this. "Luke, where are they?" Lorelai asked, bringing Luke out of his reverie.

"They're upstairs." Luke said and led the way to his Unabomber apartment. Lorelai followed closely behind. They walked in to find Rory and Jess asleep together on the old brown couch. Rory had her head on Jess' shoulder and he had his arm around her.

"They look so peaceful." Lorelai whispered and half-considered letting her daughter remain there until she remembered whom she was sleeping with. Lorelai slowly walked over and shook Rory awake. Jess also woke up a little and mumbled a 'goodnight' to Rory. Lorelai and Luke descended downstairs into the diner to give Rory and Jess a little more time.

Jess fell back asleep on the couch and Rory decided to pull on his arm to get him off the couch. Jess decided to wake up and cooperate by walking to his bed with Rory's help. As she lay him down on his bed, Rory started to walk away from him to go downstairs but Jess quietly called her back. Rory could only oblige and quickly kissed him on the cheek before she left. As she walked down the stairs, Rory did her best to cool herself down and stop flushing. Rory and Lorelai walked back to the Crap Shack in the dark cool air. Rory felt herself unable to stop thinking of Jess' arm around her as she slept.

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The following morning, Rory Gilmore woke up and got dressed as if it were any other Saturday in the year. When she walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, she found her mother drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Rory instinctively headed straight for the coffee machine and poured herself a cup before sitting down at the table to join her mother.

"Good morning!" Lorelai greeted as chirpily as she could.

"'Morning," Rory mumbled as she sipped at her coffee. "How was the reception?"

"How was Luke's Diner?" Lorelai retorted and Rory stuck her tongue out at her mother. "Reception was fine and would've been more fun if you were there. How was your evening?"

"I ran into Dean." Rory announced and Lorelai's eyes widened in shock. She demanded to know every detail. "We had a loud argument out in public. I tried to apologise and he was so angry. He has every reason to be angry. I guess that Dean and I are really over." Rory explained the cliff notes version. She still hadn't explained that Dean mentioned hers and Jess' mutual attraction. "Luke's?" Rory suggested and Lorelai nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Rory." Lorelai said as she pulled her daughter into a hug before she could escape to her bedroom for a jacket.

"I'll be fine," Rory assured her mother and soon they headed for their favourite diner.

On the way to Luke's, Rory was wary about passing Doose's Market where a certain tall ex-boyfriend worked.

"I'll be your bodyguard," Lorelai suggested and this brought out a giggle in her daughter. Rory dragged her mother to their favourite diner. As they entered, they saw that it was completely packed with people and even the counter was full. Lorelai decided to hover for a table while Rory went in search of Jess. When she couldn't find him behind the counter, Luke told her that he was still upstairs getting ready. Rory followed Luke's advice and left Lorelai to flirt with him for a table. She eventually found him hiding and reading _The Fountainhead, _much to Rory's surprise.

"_The Fountainhead, _eh?" Rory greeted and Jess jumped a little.

"I _still _have no idea what she's talking about." Jess complained as he threw the book down at Rory's feet. She kneeled down in front of the teenage boy.

"Jess, was Dean right? He said that we liked each other and I just need to know. I mean, I kissed you and you kissed me back which gave me a sort of idea. It isn't like it was a bad kiss, just bad circumstances." Rory started to babble on and Jess smirked at her but remained silent. When Rory realised that he wasn't saying anything, an expression of pain covered her face. "Fine, forget it. I understand now that you hate me. I'll just leave you alone now." Rory snapped a little and stood up to leave.

"Rory, wait." Jess called as he stood up and walked over to her. "I'm sorry. He was right about all of it." Jess finally said and Rory smiled a bright smile at him. Jess took her hands in his and Rory suddenly remembered about her mother waiting for her. She kissed him again on the cheek and rushed happily down the stairs into the diner.

**A/N: Okay, that's Chapter Three. I hope you liked it. The next chapter will probably be the last one. Please review for this and my other story The Newspaper Room and The Maternity Ward, which I updated the other day. I'll probably write more fan fiction next week because I have an oral presentation to do on Friday and that's the last of my assignments. I should get back to that as I've been very bad and written this instead of my speech. **

**I'll stop babbling now. **

**Love LiteratiLady **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and alerts. So in this chapter, I tried to include elements of Rory and Jess: The Early Years from the Season Three episode 'Let The Games Begin.' Of course I had to come up with a new excuse for Jess to get out of the diner to meet Rory. I also put a random Chilton bit and Jess bit. It's kind of a scattered chapter. **

**Also, in the last chapter, because of the many mentions of **_**The Fountainhead**_**, I forgot to ask if anyone has read that book. So, have you read **_**The Fountainhead **_**by Ayn Rand because of the Gilmore Girls? Also, what about any Hemingway? Any other novels or movies? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did, Jess Mariano would be all mine. **

Rory arrived back in the busy diner to find that her mother had scored two seats at the counter. Lorelai's flirting skills with Luke Danes had clearly failed the mother and daughter a table. However, today, Rory couldn't care less. She sat next to her mother with a smile fixed on her face. Jess arrived in the diner to start working not long after she did. As Luke saw his nephew, he turned to him and yelled at him for being late to work. Jess shrugged at his uncle until he was done ranting and went to pour a cup of coffee for Rory.

"Good morning, what do you want?" Jess asked, a little too happily for Lorelai's liking.

"Good morning Jess, I'll have pancakes please." Rory ordered happily and Jess gave her order to Caesar before leaving to fill up everyone else's cups of coffee.

"Rory," Lorelai started, grabbing her daughter's attention. "Why is Jess smiling so much? You looked kind of cute last night asleep together, with clothes on." Lorelai continued and Rory sighed at her mother. She asked for her point and Lorelai agreed to cut to the chase. "I think you need to wallow today but you and Jess are too happy and too new-relationship-glowy this morning. I just want you to be careful and I think that you're moving too fast. You don't look upset enough to wallow." Lorelai babbled and Rory just stared at her mother in disbelief.

"You're upset that I'm _happy_?" Rory questioned and Lorelai's eyes widened in shock.

"No, sweetie, I only ever wish for your happiness. You've just broken up with your first boyfriend because you're in love with another guy. I just think that you should take this slowly." Lorelai reasoned and Rory wished that she could be sad about her break up with Dean. If only Jess didn't make her happier than Dean ever did.

"Well, do something to make me hate you." Rory suggested.

"Um, go Hitler?" Lorelai said and Rory collapsed in giggles. Lorelai quickly nudged her and Rory turned to see Miss Patty and Babette approaching her. Rory put on her best sad face as she took their condolences.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. Please let us give you a hug." Miss Patty and Babette each hugged Rory Gilmore , who tried to look as sad as she could.

"See? I can be sad." Rory said once they had gone. Jess finally brought over their pancakes and Rory tried not to smile too much at him. Even Luke had started to notice his cheerfulness. Once Jess had gone upstairs to the apartment for something, Luke approached the Gilmore girls.

"Why is Jess so _happy? _I thought he was depressed or something." Luke questioned and Lorelai sighed.

"I thought I told you last night. Rory and Dean broke up at the wedding. Now it's Rory and Jess: The Early Years. They are in their new-relationship-glow." Lorelai explained once again and Luke smiled at the thought of Rory and Jess as a couple.

"Hi, just sitting here!" Rory quipped and Lorelai briefly glanced at her daughter.

"I think this is great." Luke stated before turning to Rory Gilmore, "you are a great kid and if you've gotten Jess to smile for quite some time then you've got to be good for him." Luke suddenly stopped when Jess returned back downstairs, still smiling.

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Today was the last day of term at Chilton Preparatory School. This day primarily existed for students to receive their grades and to announce the winners of the Student Body Government. Paris had called her at Sookie and Jackson's wedding feeling very optimistic about their chances of winning. Rory had mixed feelings about being in the Student Body Government. Her friendship with Paris could be dissolved quickly if she made a wrong move and that would create awkward barriers between the two friends. She would also have to spend her summer in Washington DC, which was exciting, but it also meant leaving behind her Mom and Jess. Rory's heart always beat faster at the mere thought of his name. So much had happened so quickly. Rory barely had a moment to contemplate Jess when Paris finally found her at her locker.

"We're in! We've won! Welcome to the show!" Paris announced excitedly. It was happy and new sight to see Paris excited about anything. Rory sighed as she slammed her locker closed.

"Great, now we can go off to Washington!" Rory tried to sound enthusiastic but Paris being _Paris_ failed to notice her lack of enthusiasm. Paris' smile was bright and wide which freaked out the other students a little. As they walked down the corridor towards the hall for the assembly, Rory did decide that this was an opportunity to think about Jess. He had told her that he liked her, right? That Dean was right? The day of the wedding was absolutely crazy and Rory enjoyed that kiss with Jess more than she should have. Paris brought Rory out of her reverie once they reached the assembly. Hundreds of students in the same blue uniform organised themselves into rows of chairs. The three candidates sat at the front of the assembly hall along with the rest of the Class Presidents etc. Rory should've found the assembly a little more interesting but her mind kept drifting back to Jess. He simply wouldn't leave her mind and she would have to focus this year. When Paris nudged her to stand up because they had announced the winners, Rory knew that her concentration would be screwed this year.

After the assembly was over, Paris decided to go over the details of the Washington trip. They had to leave in a couple of days, which saddened Rory. She hadn't realised that her summer would be so short. The thought of her and Paris sharing a hotel room was entertaining though. They then headed off to find their scores and grades from that year.

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Jess Mariano was elated. He had never been elated before in his entire life. Elated was the only word to describe this crazy feeling. This feeling that everything would be perfectly fine and he was walking on clouds. His and Rory's mutual attraction had been established and she had broken up with Dean Forester under beautiful circumstances (for Jess). People in the diner had started to give him strange looks because they had never seen the Town Hoodlum so… _happy_. Jess tried to place a scowl back on his face but the smirk kept on coming back. Jess was so elated that he went to all of his classes and breezed through the pathetic amount of work. They still had another week left. News of Rory's and Dean's break up spread quickly over town and Jess' smirk had ruined the surprise of their new relationship. He had a plan for that night and he was sure that Rory would love it.

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That evening, Lorelai Gilmore tapped her pen impatiently on the red table as she sat in Luke's diner. Every minute, she would look over to the door for her daughter to appear. Lorelai was always put out when Rory was late and she was dying to know how the Student Body Election Result Assembly went. She couldn't wait to introduce Stars Hollow to their Hilary Clinton. Luke Danes came over by and hovered at the table for a little while to see if she wanted more coffee. Lorelai, wordlessly, glanced up at him and pointed to the cup. Apparently she did want more coffee.

"It really bothers you when Rory's late, doesn't it?" Luke asked rhetorically. He always knew the answer to this type of question. Lorelai simply agreed with him and sipped at her coffee. Luke let her be and went back to the counter where his nephew was wiping it down. At long last, Lorelai saw her daughter walking to the diner. She jumped out of her seat and ran out of the diner towards her Vice Presidential daughter.

"Hey, how did it go?" Lorelai asked excitedly, prepared to jump up and down if necessary.

"Paris and I won." Rory started to announce as Lorelai jumped up and down. "How much coffee have you had?" Lorelai stopped jumping at her tone and began to lead her to their favourite diner.

"You're crabby." Lorelai stated, "What's wrong?"

"I have to spend my whole summer in Washington DC." Rory said a little sadly. She really didn't want to go away from her mother and someone else whose name rhymes with 'Tess.' Lorelai held the door open into the diner to find that her table had been cleared, wiped down and new customers were sitting at the table. Lorelai stormed up to the counter where Luke stood and demanded to know why her table had been cleared. Rory walked over to the other part of the counter where Jess was reading a book. She looked down at the title and saw that it was _A Farewell to Arms _by Ernest Hemingway. Rory groaned at the mere thought of such a dull writer. Rather than start an argument, Rory decided to greet him sweetly.

"Hello," Rory greeted and Jess looked up from his book.

"Hi, how was your last day?" Jess enquired and Rory told him about the Student Body Government win and the fact that she would have to spend her summer in Washington. Jess looked emotionless at the mention that Rory Gilmore would be gone for several weeks. Suddenly Rory was pulled away by her mother. She had stopped paying attention to her mother and Luke when she found Jess to talk to.

"What is it?" Rory demanded to know.

"We missed the moment! I had it all planned out and everything. I was so distracted by those crazy people who took my table." Lorelai babbled and Rory started to realize that she still had no idea what her crazy mother was talking about. Lorelai noticed the confusion on Rory's face and just decided to jump to the point. "I was going to announce to Stars Hollow that you are Stars Hollow's Hilary Clinton. Do over?" Before Rory had a chance to protest, she was being pulled out of the diner. Rory looked back to see Jess smirking at her mother's craziness. Lorelai walked back into the diner and held the door so Rory couldn't walk in on her own. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Stars Hollow in Connecticut. I present to you Rory Gilmore, Chilton's Hilary Clinton!" Lorelai announced and started a round of applause as she let her daughter back into the diner. Rory blushed at the attention and blushed deeper as she saw Jess still smirking at her. Lorelai and Rory sat down at another table and ordered two cheeseburgers and coffee.

As Rory sipped at her coffee, she noticed Jess go to the apartment upstairs and return with his denim jacket. As Luke brought over their cheeseburgers, Jess also went over to the table.

"I have to go get a book at the bookstore." Jess lied to his uncle, who told him to be back as quickly as possible. "I'll be back," Jess winked as he left the diner. Rory sipped at her coffee before she claimed that she had to study. Rory could feel her cheeks grow hot as she lied to her mother. Luckily, Lorelai Gilmore was the essence of cool and let her go anyways. Rory started to wander around the town aimlessly because she was so nervous. She eventually decided to go to the bookstore to seek Jess before he thought that she had not caught on to his subtlety. Rory did not see him outside or anywhere near the bookstore so she decided to head in. She found him reading a book in an aisle. As soon as he saw her, he put the book back and gestured for her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Rory whispered as they left the bookstore.

"Elsewhere." Jess said and Rory sighed, knowing that that was all she would get out of Jess Mariano.

As Rory let him lead, she realized where they were headed. They delved deeper through bushes until they reached their special bridge. Rory sighed as she gazed upon their favourite place covered under the night sky.

The water sparkled with the reflections of the moon in the night sky. The night air was a little cool but Rory didn't mind. Jess took Rory's hand as they stood together on the bridge and watched the water sparkle.

"It's beautiful," Rory whispered, as if it would all disappear if she said it too loudly. She and Jess took this opportunity to turn to each other. Jess, almost instinctively, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Rory smiled as she lost herself in Jess' chocolate brown eyes. Jess raised his other hand up to her cheek and they both leaned in towards each other. As their lips slowly touched, Jess pulled Rory in even closer and soon Rory's hand ended up fiddling with Jess' hair. It was a perfect moment for Rory Gilmore and Jess Mariano. The unfortunate need for oxygen brought Rory and Jess to part.

"Well, whatever happens between us, at least we know that part works." Jess said a little sarcastically as he entwined his fingers with Rory's.

"This was a beautiful idea. It looks magical here." Rory said as she sat down on the bridge and Jess followed suit. Rory laid her head on Jess' shoulder and Jess placed his arm around Rory's waist. They turned their heads towards each other once again and kissed. Rory placed her arms around Jess' waist and hugged him. "Jess, can we stay here forever?" Rory asked with a sense of wonder in her voice. Jess nodded before kissing her one last time. "This is probably the textbook definition of a perfect moment." Rory stated.

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Lorelai Gilmore pulled up her car against the curb next to Luke's Diner. Rory unfastened her seatbelt and was about to get out of the car before her mother quickly stopped her.

"You have five minutes to make out with Jess, get two coffees to go and bring his ass back in here so we can drive to the airport." Lorelai reminded her daughter and Rory nodded as if she could ever forget. Rory jumped out of the car and ran into the diner. Today, she was going to Washington DC to spend almost two months at a leadership conference. She was finally excited to go and was happy to drag Jess to the airport. She did understand that the drive home between her mother and her boyfriend would be awkward. Rory got excited every time she thought of Jess as her _boyfriend._ She still believed that the night at the bridge was a magical moment for both of them, no matter how much Jess denied the supernatural world. Rory burst through the front door of the diner and quickly closed it behind her. Her eyes scanned for Jess but she found Luke first.

"Two coffees to go please!" Rory ordered loudly before running upstairs to the apartment. She burst through that door as well and found Jess gelling his hair. Rory had initially planned on sneaking up on him but her excitement caught his attention the moment she entered the room. Rory ran over to Jess and wrapped her arms around him. Jess kissed her as soon as they were close enough.

"You have four minutes." Rory announced and Jess shrugged before kissing her on the lips again.

"So, we're swimming in time." Jess smirked as he said this before leaning down to kiss her. Jess cradled Rory's cheek with one hand and pulled her closer with his other arm. Rory kissed him back passionately. The loud sound of a door breaking open tore the young lovers apart. They turned to see Luke holding two cups of coffee to go. Rory flushed at Luke's entrance and saw that Jess remained calm.

"I guess that's our cue to go. Thanks Luke." Rory said as she took the coffee from Luke.

"Have fun in Washington." Luke said as he watched them run away from him.

Lorelai Gilmore was feeling awfully nauseous as she sat alone in the front of the car on the way to Hartford Airport. Rory and Jess were sitting in the back and holding hands while discussing some author that Lorelai had only heard of. She only had The Smiths playing for company and even that was Rory's choice of music.

After Rory had checked into their flight and Paris Gellar was waiting for her best friend, Rory and Jess were away from the adults, saying goodbye. Jess permanently had his arm around Rory. She kissed him in a 'goodbye' way.

"I'll write to you over the summer. It'll feel like I never left." Rory assured him and Jess quietly kissed her. "I'll miss you." Rory promised and Jess remained silent. He had never liked 'goodbyes,' even when Rory was definitely coming back. Jess sighed loudly.

"I'll… miss you as well." Jess finally breathed out and Rory smiled as she heard this. She kissed him once more and then turned to leave him for a while. Jess Mariano had no idea how he would bear the summer without Rory Gilmore. He was sure that he would find something to do. This was after all his best wish and they both confirmed their mutual attraction and made it all come true. For Jess, Rory Gilmore was better than any mouldy cake that Liz had given him for his birthday as a child. Rory Gilmore was the only reason that Jess had stayed in that hick town known as Stars Hollow. As long as she was there, he would be fine. It was an unlikely reality for teenage lovers to stay together forever, but who knew what the future had in store for Rory Gilmore and Jess Mariano?

**The End.**

**A/N: So, that's that. I hope you liked this chapter. I think some of it is a bit random and OOC. This was a fun story to write. **

**I have done a few things from Gilmore Girls, including buying a copy of 'The Fountainhead' which I will read once I've finished rereading 'To Kill A Mockingbird.**

**Please don't forget to Review! I love Reviews! Thank you so much especially to Midnight-Gypsy101 and kylielink for reviewing so regularly! **** It's been fun. **


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